Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-15

navgable for 300 miles above, and only
waited the opening of the shoals to open its
commerce for 500 miles below to the Ohio
River and thence to the Mississippi and
all its tributaries. The banks of the Ten
nessee above the town are bursting with
coal and iron, and covered with the finest
hard wood forests in the country. Here
two great rival systems of railroads, run
ming to all the cardinal points of the com
pass, met and crossed the river, and each
other, and transferred freight and passen
gers. This gives facilities for the lowest
of competitive railroad rates. Here were
rolling lands above overflow and miasma,
begging to be built upon. For22 years, in
spite of all these natural advantages, the
business of Decatur was done in dilapi-
dated old street consisting of two or three
blocks of houses. The poverty that re-
suited from the war still marked every
structure in the place.
Now for the awakening.
Last fall some one began to quietly buy
up houses and lots in the town and all the
plantations around it. Beautiful farm
lands bordering the town, ran up to the
unheard of price of s25 per acre. At
December, that all this property, to the
extent of 5000 acres, had gone into the
hands of Mr.. f. G.. Gordon, the well
known railroad builder. and his friends.
1t began to be whispered about that "Deca-
tur was getting ready to 90 on BOOM"
publicly that they had secured $500 acres of
town lands and 10000 acres of coal and
iron lands, which they proposed to put
into the Decatur Land improvement and
Furnace company. Subscriptions to the
amount of 81 ,000,0 600 was asked for, three
lift hs of the money to be used in paying for
the land, and the rest for the development
of the new town. Two days after the public
announcement of the enterprise 5000 900
was subscribed the next day 5000 900 was
4
81 800, 900 all together had been offered
Most of this was southern capital. No one
stopped to Inquire as to the details of the
enterprise. Everyone was anxious to get
in on the ground floor" and subscribed
all that he could raise. Everyone knew the
reputation for Business foresight that the
prime mover in the enterprise possessed,
and then people had been saying for 80
years that Decatur, owing to its natural
advantages, would sometime be great
city: The company was organized January
II of the present year. What has been
done in two and one-half months toward
making this place great manufacturing
centre Let me enumerate, even though
statistics be a little dull, for nothing will
show better the new spirit that prevails in
the, south to-day, Manufacturers have
rushed in from all quarters to secure a
favorable location on this company's
lands the company giving sites for all
enterprises of this kind. These enter
prises have mostly come from the North.
Contracts have been signed with the
Chemical Charcoal company to put in a
$4,000 plant. This company now EN-
ploys POO men, and makes 100000 bushels
of charcoal every fortnight, and out of the
smoke as it issues from the kilns, is dis
titled 5000 gallons each fortnight, of wood
alcohol, and large amount of acetate of
lime, The products from the smoke pay
for running the plant and give the char
coal for nothing
A 100000 Steam Engine Manufacturing
company, employing $50 men, is being
built.
Two iron blast furnaces that will cost
100000 and give employment to about
300 men, are contracted for.
large rolling mill that will employ
200 skilled laborers. is also under con
tract.
An Iron Bridge Building company that
Will consume 1000 tons of rolled iron the
first year and give work to $50 men, is
being built
a Wood Extract company for extract
ing the tanning qualities from wood and
bark will be commenced within 30 DAYS
This enterprise Will give employment to
$50 mel.
A sash and door factory, tool works
and Cotton Compress company, with a
capital CT $4,000.
An artificial ice factory.
Electric light plant and saw mills, re-
friEerator mandatory and numerous
smaller enterprises will be commenced
within 30 days.
This sounds like fairy tale Think of
nearly S3,0OO,O0O being poured into a
sleepy old town in less than three mouths.
Think of enough enterprises being Sc
cured in two months to add 5000 to the
population of a country village. All this
simply shows that the hour for the South
has struck, and that a new South is taking
the place of the old.
Southwark, not Westward, the star of
empire takes its way.
There is steady stream of investors in
lands and stock and in manufacturing
enterprises, pouring into this country from
the most conservative of money centres in
the North. | think | speak advisable
when predict that this sleepy old town
will have in less than three years popu-
laton of $4,000. The reason for this is
plain. Capital in New York city hunts
for investments that pay from three to
four per cent per annum. Here invest
ments pay from % to 100 per cent per year
Gilt edge" investments that guarantee
from to Is per cent go begging. The
new spirit that is brought into this land
makes Northern capitalists feel safe in
investing their money here.
Will this thing last for any length of
time it may be asked Let us see.
Alabama for instance has a great area
and the most valuable natural resources
of any State in this Union. In a single
county she has more coal and iron and
lnmber than all New England possesses
The state geologist reports that there are
l0s,0 900 coo tons of available coal in
Alabama, which places it IN the front
rank in all the world as a coal producing
area. This coal is worth at the mines
| $3.50, 900, 100000. This will be sufficient to
, buy every foot of Alabama's great area
: at 5000 per acre; and yet with all this
, wealth there are only four cities of any
: consequence in this State, and these
would be rated AS fourth or fifth class
cities IN the North.
From Nashville, Tenn, on the north to
? Birmingham on the South, 200 miles and
more; and from Memphis on the west
to Chattanooga on the east, 400 miles in
} all that great area, there is scarcely a
] town larger than Winooski or half so
populous. The whole of Northwestern
Alabama almost one quarter of the
: State has not a single railroad of any
7 kind at present. Decatur, that lies at
tha mt Of hn o,.il,